As locals wait for details on Karpowership SA’s plans to moor in Saldanha Bay, the energy provider received environmental authorisation for its Richards Bay Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application.
Karpowership SA welcomed the decision by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) last week to grant this authorisation.
“The decision not only vindicates Karpowership SA’s thorough EIA methodology and process, which included comprehensive and inclusive public participation processes in Richards Bay, but also demonstrates the department’s willingness to evaluate the information at hand objectively.
“This decision is further justification that our Powerships exceed both international and South African environmental standards,” the Turkish based company said in a statement on Friday (27 October), “and we are pleased that this has been recognised.”
Karpowership SA aims to provide the country with electricity through three separate projects based in Richards Bay, Coega and locally in Saldanha Bay.
However, opposition to the projects continue, with worries over certain issues from environmental impact, costs and true capacity to South Africa’s ongoing electricity crisis.
Despite all this Karpowership SA said the recent outcome “represents a meaningful turning point” in the process of its LNG-to-Power projects.
Karpowership says its focus is now on meeting financial close, a process of verifying and adjusting of balances ultimately to produce financial reports, which will require it to finalise agreements with Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA).
It says it “remains committed to South Africa and the process set out and led by the DMRE and the Independent Power Producers (IPP) office”.
